Partner
Managing Partner of Chicago Office
Joanna K. Horsnail
Projects & Infrastructure, Hospitality & Leisure, Infrastructure Investment
“Joanna Horsnail is amazing.” “She is incredibly efficient, practical and strategic. She's also intellectual and she knows the documents inside and out.”
"Joanna is outstanding; she is always willing to work through the options on issue resolution."
"Joanna is incredibly down to earth, despite her stature in the field."
Overview
Clients turn to Joanna Horsnail for representation on a variety of construction and government transactions. Her experience includes traditional power projects, renewable energy projects, and other infrastructure projects. Her practice focuses on the following areas:
Design and Construction. Joanna represents public and private owners, developers, lenders, and contractors regarding the design, construction, development, financing, acquisition, and disposition of facilities, including various public-private partnership projects. She negotiates and prepares EPC contracts, design and construction agreements, concession agreements, sponsorship agreements, naming rights agreements, leases, service agreements, purchase agreements, operation and maintenance agreements, consulting contracts, and various project management agreements.
Experience
Represented:
- A Japanese consortium of global companies engaged to negotiate the EPC contract and design and build the multibillion-dollar infrastructure for the Texas highspeed rail project that will run between Dallas and Houston.
- Kraft Heinz Foods Company in the negotiation of a design-build agreement and development agreement plus the build-to-suit synthetic lease financing for their ground-breaking 750,000 square foot warehouse and distribution facility in Dekalb, Illinois.
- State of Illinois on the sale of the James R. Thompson Center (JRTC) in the heart of the Chicago central business district and, with the property being transferred to JRTC Holdings, LLC. Google will become the building’s new owner/occupant. Also represented the State in negotiation of design and construction contracts for its new office space.
- A US-based energy client in the negotiation of multiple EPC contracts relating to the development of a power plant and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal and transmission facilities in El Salvador. Also represented this client in negotiating an EPC agreement in Mexico.
Recognition
- Ranked by Chambers USA – Construction, Illinois (2020-24; currently Band 2)
- Ranked Leading Lawyer for Real Estate: Construction (including construction litigation) by Legal 500 US
- "Joanna Horsnail has been an invaluable contributor to our project team." (Legal 500)
- "Joanna Horsnail is absolutely amazing. I continually recommend Mayer Brown as the best public sector infrastructure law firm in the country." (Legal 500)
Education
- Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, JD
Chicago-Kent Law Review, Order of the Coif - University of Colorado, BS
Admissions
- Illinois
Professional & Community Involvement
- Leadership Greater Chicago, Fellow 2015
- Member of Misericordia Women’s Board
- Women in Public Finance (Past President); recipient of the 2007 Woman of the Year Award